No Second Chances
by lauraac2110
Summary: In my line of work, there's meant to be no such thing as second chances. However, I couldn't have been so wrong. This is the story of a disaster that didn't ruin my life as it should've done because the Omega Defiance learned of who I am.
1. Prologue: Not Meant To Be

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own Aaron Stone, © of Disney XD and no copyright infringement is intended._

_Note, see my Author News Blog for information about the upcoming chapters for this novel and for my other novels Before Redemption and Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart._

_Lauraac2110_

Aaron Stone: No Second Chances

Prologue: Not Meant To Be

A Fanfiction By Lauraac2110

"I'm sorry, Aaron," T. Abner Hall sighs. "It's just not meant to be."

I nod in reply but, because I don't trust myself to say anything else to him, I remain silent.

"Sir, if I may..." S.T.A.N begins.

"Yes, leave us, Aaron," Mr Hall commands. I nod again, turn and leave the room.

It isn't meant to be this way. They weren't meant to forget. I've made a big mistake so I should be living with the consequences right now. But, no.

Hall Industries have intervened and everything is going to go back to the way it had been only a few days before. I'm supposed to be happy that I'm not going to be ruthlessly hunted by the Omega Defiance because they had learned my real identity. I'm supposed to be happy that I can live my quite normal life for a little while longer. I'm not, though.

I don't like my life of secrets. I don't like lying to my parents, my brother or my classmates. I thought that this was going to be a chance to be more honest and more genuine with my family. Obviously, though, it's clear that I'm going to be returning to the life of secrets again soon despite everything which has happened over the past few days.

I stop in the corridor for a moment and sigh. I bet that you're wondering how this all began right now. Well, it began like all the other messes in my life. It began with another mission for Aaron Stone. This one, though, is the one that I'll remember for the rest of my days as the mission which nearly cost me my life. This one is also the one that I'll remember as the mission after which I was given second chance.

There's just one problem.

In my line of work, there are meant to be no second chances after you've made such a big mistake like I did.


	2. Chapter 1: The Mission

Aaron Stone: No Second Chances

Chapter 1: The Mission

A Fanfiction By Lauraac2110

For me, it started off just like any other normal day. I got up, completely exhausted because of a mission the night before, and sighed. At least it was the start of the weekend, I would have a chance to get some rest or so I thought that morning.

Little did I realise at that moment that it wasn't meant to be that way. I got dressed quickly, had breakfast and joined Jason to play some Hero Rising in my bedroom. We were playing through one of the more difficult levels, limbo, and, from her house next door, Emma eventually joined us.

"So, what's this?" Jason asked as he pointed to a golden note lying on screen besides a trash can. I shrugged.

"It could be anything. A Trojan Horse or a map to a hidden treasure or even just a golden note. Who knows?" I replied.

"Let me see..." Emma began as she hesitantly took a look at the golden note. As both Jason and I tried to peer at it's contents, she concealed it from us. Then, she instantly signed out and quit the game.

"Emma!" Jason exclaimed. I grimaced slightly as it wasn't like Emma to act this way unless something important or dangerous was going on. Seconds later, S.T.A.N entered.

"Good morning, Charlie. Could you come help me with the, um..., cooking?" he began hesitantly. I knew instantly that something was wrong so I nodded and quit the game.

"Sorry, bro, I've got to go," I said to Jason quite calmly. "You'll have to enjoy Hero Rising without me."

Jason tried to protest at this but I had left the room before he could start. S.T.A.N soon followed and led me over to Emma's house. In her bedroom, the curtain was drawn and she lay quietly on the bed.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I asked instantly once I had seen her expression.

"We've got a problem. That golden note Emma discovered in limbo is a message from Elias Powers to the Omega Defiance. It's got coordinates, a time and a thumb's up on it suggesting that either a meeting or a big job is about to get under way soon," S.T.A.N replied.

"Mr Hall wants us to investigate, Charlie. He says that it could be very important," Emma added.

"I'm tracing the coordinates now," S.T.A.N informed me as I nodded. "Hmm... It's the World Bank."

"A bank job? Could the Omega Defiance be attempting to steal funds to further their goals?" I suggested as I sat down on Emma's bed.

"Possibly. I don't like this, though. The Omega Defiance have never targeted a bank this well protected for money before. Besides, they don't need to raid banks as they've got Xero to hack into the computerised systems for them to transfer money to their assorted accounts," S.T.A.N admitted.

"I don't like this either," Emma added. "Something seems off about their whole plot."

I considered their words for a moment before I nodded in agreement. "I think that you're both right. There's definitely something off about us finding that note. Elias Powers isn't stupid. He knows that we would be monitoring limbo to make sure that he doesn't try to contact the Omega Defiance that way again yet he's still left a note here. I don't like it either. It's almost as if Elias Powers wants us to find out about this. It's almost as if he's after something else..."

We were all silent for a moment as we considered the implications of our words. To put it simply, it appeared to us to be a trap yet we still had to go there to stop the Omega Defiance if they did attempt to steal anything from the bank. We couldn't afford to let them get their hands on any funds to further their evil plans despite the risks.

Finally, S.T.A.N spoke up. "Emma, Charlie, we better go to the World Bank to find out about what Omega Defiance is up to." Emma and I nod.

"We'll go to the SSJ and get suited up. Meet us there after you've thought up some sort of excuse to tell Charlie's mom, S.T.A.N," Emma assured. I shrugged before I followed her.

We made our way to the SSJ and got into our uniforms. Emma sorted through her blasters as I sat in the cockpit of the SSJ and pondered about what other motives the Omega Defiance might have had for breaking into the World Bank but, for the life of me, I couldn't think of any of their other possible motives. I knew, though, that there was more to this whole plot than it seemed.

When S.T.A.N joined us, Emma had picked out one of her massive blasters. Then, she ran the final launch sequences on the SSJ.

"Are we ready to go?" S.T.A.N asked. I nodded in reply.

"Yes. What did you tell my mom?" I asked curiously.

S.T.A.N smiled. "I told her that you and I were going to fetch some paint, which I promised her I would get a few days ago, so that we can paint the fences."

I grimaced at that. I hated painting the fences but it was a chore which, if I didn't do it, I would be grounded for.

"I guess that we'll have to get to work on the fence as soon as we get back," I sighed. S.T.A.N nodded.

"That would be the best plan. We don't want to anger your mom too much," he agreed as Emma smiled.

"Buckle in, boys, we're about to take off," she warned. S.T.A.N and I hastily buckled ourselves into our seats as we knew about the fast speeds which Emma liked to fly the SSJ at and we didn't want to be sent flying to one side or another of the SSJ for the entire journey to the World Bank. Then, we waited.

After a few seconds of waiting, the SSJ burst into life and we were off towards the World Bank. I sighed. The World Bank was going to take us a while to reach so, until then, I had to find something to occupy myself with. Fortunately, S.T.A.N had brought along some of the homework which I had to complete this weekend and I calmly began to work my way through it so that I didn't have to do it later.

A few hours later and we arrived at the World Bank. It was clear that the Omega Defiance's bank raid was in progress as the police were already on the scene. We had to find a way of getting into the World Bank without being noticed by them and a way of defeating the Omega Defiance before they burst in. I grimaced. It wasn't going to be an easy task.

"Any ideas?" I asked Emma and S.T.A.N as we watched the ongoing situation outside the bank.

"I've got one. We'll disable the World Bank's security cameras before we enter with an electromagnetic pulse then we'll sneak in through the roof," Emma suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea to me," I replied with a smile. S.T.A.N nodded.

"Yes. The cloaking device should hide the SSJ from anyone who is watching the events unfolding at the World Bank right now. Take us into position, Emma," S.T.A.N commanded.

Emma nodded and manoeuvred the SSJ onto the roof. Then, she unleashed an electromagnetic pulse which quickly disabled all of the security cameras and all of the World Bank's other defences. Finally, she nodded to me and we got out of the SSJ with S.T.A.N following close behind us.

It was rather easy to get into the World Bank, although Emma did have to use her blaster to knock down a few doors, and it was rather quiet until we got down to the vault. That's when things got rather interesting indeed.

General Cross, and several of his flunkies, were loading gold into crates to be carted out of the Bank. What seemed strange to me, though, was the fact that they had nowhere to escape with the gold to. The bank was completely surrounded and they didn't have any nearby modes of transport they could use either. It was almost as if they were after something else entirely.

I stopped. _What else could they be after? _I thought to myself for a moment but I still couldn't think of any other motives for the life of me. My suspicions, however, increased considerably when I noticed that their attempts were half-hearted. They weren't putting a great deal of effort into moving the gold and, if I had been attempting to steal that amount of gold, I would certainly have been moving much more quickly than they were so that I could escape before the police arrived. Both S.T.A.N and Emma had seemed to notice the fact already as well but, despite our increasing suspicions, we had to deal with the Omega Defiance. We couldn't just stand by and let them get away with this.

Emma entered the vault first and opened fire on the flunkies before they could react. As for myself, I got the honour of taking on Cross one on one. It didn't take me very long to overpower Cross because he didn't seem to put much effort into the fight which worried me quite a bit as I finally triumphed and held Cross in tight a headlock.

"All right, Stone," General Cross said as I held him in a headlock. "You win."

I was taken aback by this as General Cross never surrendered. There was definitely more to what was going on here than what we could see.

"Aaron..." S.T.A.N said in warning. I nodded.

"I know," I replied as I looked up at him. I was distracted for a moment and General Cross used that to his advantage. He broke free, yanked at my hair and held me with a gun to my forehead. I grimaced as he pulled me backwards slightly.

"Nobody move or I'll shoot," General Cross warned. I took a deep breath.

"Aaron!" Emma exclaimed as she was about to make a move. I shook my head.

"Dark Tamara! Don't!" I exclaimed as I struggled to get free. At that moment, I had a clever idea. As General Cross moved another step back, I shot at his foot which caused him to let go. I felt a sharp pain in my scalp for a few seconds as I escaped his grasp just as we could hear the police coming.

"Time to go, guys," I warned. Emma nodded.

"The police can capture Cross. We can't afford to be implicated in this," S.T.A.N agreed as we fled. The police didn't notice us as we escaped because we were fortunate that they were only concentrating on getting to the vault first. However, there was a large explosion behind us as we reached the roof which suggested that General Cross had found a way to escape them. As the building began to shake, we got into the SSJ and Emma hastily started up the launch sequences. Seconds later, just after all of the police officers, who had been in the building, had escaped onto the streets, the World Bank collapsed as we took off. I grimaced as I looked out at the carnage.

"That's quite a lot of damage," I noted. "We're going to be in trouble for not stopping Cross, I bet."

"Not at all, Aaron," Emma reassured. "Not at all."

"She's right," S.T.A.N agreed. "There's nothing that we could've done to prevent Cross from blowing up the bank, I'm afraid. We ran to prevent Hall Industries from having a number of embarrassing questions to answer about you and Dark Tamara. We ran to keep your identities secret and Mr Hall won't be angry about that," S.T.A.N assured.

I paused for a moment before I fell silent in the back of the SSJ. S.T.A.N and Emma were busy piloting home so I didn't want to disturb them. I had done all my homework before we had arrived at the World Bank so I found myself pondering about what General Cross had _really_ wanted at the World Bank.

After a while, my head was still throbbing so I put my hand over where it hurt and it came back covered in loose hair. At that moment, a cold chill overcame me as I realised what General Cross had been after.

He hadn't been after the gold. No, there had been something worth more than gold to him and the Omega Defiance there. _Me._

They had been after my DNA... which meant that...

"S.T.A.N, Emma, you've got to step on it!" I burst out as I turned very pale. They turned to me.

"What's wrong, Aaron?" Emma asked.

"I'll tell you on the way there. We've not got much time," I replied. "Just step on it!"

S.T.A.N nodded and increased the SSJ's speed to maximum as we headed back to Eastland. As I hurriedly slipped out of my uniform, and into my normal clothes, I told them everything that had just clicked into place for me.I only hoped that we could get to my family before the Omega Defiance did or we were going to be in a lot of trouble.

I had just made a big mistake by falling into the Omega Defiance's trap. And I was now about to find out the consequences. Little did I realise at that moment, this mission could have had the potential to ruin my life forever. I was only concentrating on one thing at that moment of time.

My family.

And nothing else mattered to me.


	3. Chapter 2: Tricks and Rescues

Aaron Stone: No Second Chances

Chapter 2: Tricks and Rescues

A Fanfiction By Lauraac2110

The house was just too quiet so I was quite worried as I entered through the front door. At that moment, I had absolutely no idea that my fears were beginning to come true.

"Mom, Jason!" I called. There was no reply.

S.T.A.N was behind me and urged me to be cautious but I cared only about finding them. As soon as I entered the living room, I found out why there was no one here. The place was trashed which suggested to me that something had happened whilst I had been on that mission to stop the Omega Defiance thieving gold from the World Bank.

I continued on, frantically racing upstairs, where I found that only my room had escaped the devastation. Hero Rising was on my television screen and I had a message from the Omega Defiance.

S.T.A.N looked around. "This doesn't look good, Aaron Stone. It doesn't look good at all," he warned.

I put on the headset and logged in. I wasn't surprised to find that Elias Powers had sent me mail.

"Ah, Aaron Stone or should I say Charlie Landers? I warned you long ago that I would hunt you down. It took me a while to find you, mainly due to the fact that Mr Hall had such high security around your account, but you eventually led me right to the things that you cared about the most," Elias smirked. "You should've been more careful."

"Where are they? What have you done with them?" I demanded. Elias shook his head.

"Now, now, now, you don't call the shots here, Charlie Landers. I do. They're safe, for now, but I might not be so merciful to them if you don't listen to everything that I'm about to say very carefully," Elias replied. "You and I are going to have a rematch, in the flesh, very soon. I'll send you the coordinates and you'll come alone, without your robotic friend S.T.A.N, or I'll kill them."

"If you harm them, Elias... I'll make sure that you regret it," I warned.

Elias laughed. "They don't know who you really are, Aaron Stone. I wonder how mommy would feel if she found out her precious little boy was a footsoldier for Hall Industries? I wonder how little Jason would feel if he found out his big brother was pretty famous for the wrong reasons? I wonder how they would both feel if they found out that you've been lying to them?" he taunted.

"It doesn't matter, Elias," I growled in reply. "I know fine well that you've probably got them with you right now. Send me the coordinates and let's end this quickly so that I can back to more challenging opponents."

S.T.A.N looked at me with a shocked expression on his face. "Aaron, it isn't wise to..."

On-screen, Elias unrolled a scroll with specific coordinates on it. I quickly jotted them down on a nearby piece of paper as he smiled at me. "Take as long as you want, Charlie, but remember that you've got to come without S.T.A.N or I'll kill them," Elias laughed. "We'll be waiting, Aaron Stone."

The message ended at that moment. I took a moment to compose myself before I took off the headset and banged my fist against the wall in frustration. I'd made a big mistake and now my family was in danger because of it and, even as Aaron Stone, there was very little I could do to get them out of there without revealing my identity to them.

"Charlie, I..." S.T.A.N began.

"No, S.T.A.N, I'm fine. I've just got to stay cool, calm and collected. The Three C's," I paused as I took a deep breath but it didn't help me to calm down at all. Elias Powers had made me very angry indeed. "Who am I kidding? An absolute maniac has captured my family and it's all my fault."

I flopped onto the bed as I grimaced. "I've messed up big time. Now, I've got to go duel him, which will certainly be a trap, and I've got to reveal to my mom and my brother that I'm Aaron Stone..." I sighed. "S.T.A.N, maybe I should never have become Aaron Stone in the first place because at least my family would be safe right now."

Emma entered. "No, Charlie, don't ever say that. Think of all the good you've done as Aaron Stone. Think of all the people who you've saved from death through what you've done to combat the Omega Defiance's evil plots. If you had never become Aaron Stone, you wouldn't be standing here right now. Your family's still alive and now, the great hero, Aaron Stone and his sidekick, Dark Tamara, are going to rescue them."

I was quiet as I considered her words. Whilst she had been talking, S.T.A.N had contacted Mr Hall.

"Mr Hall wants me to inform you that, despite the dangers, he'll let you do what you have to do to get your family back as he understands that your family is very important to you, Charlie," S.T.A.N said. "I'm afraid Emma is right, though, Charlie. They need Aaron Stone."

I sat up on the bed and looked down at the floor. "I don't know if I can do it, guys. Elias Powers has made me so angry and I'm struggling to maintain the Three C's. If I can't maintain them, I won't stand a chance against Elias or the rest of the Omega Defiance."

Emma sat beside me. "I know that you can do it, Charlie, as you're Aaron Stone. Despite all the odds so far, you've managed to kick the Omega Defiance's butt. Your family is in danger and only you can do something about it now," she said as she paused. "Besides, I'll be right there with you, Aaron Stone. I've been working on a bio-dampener which will hide me from their scanners if they scan the SSJ so I'll be able to hide in it until you need me."

I was still unsure of myself at that moment and it showed.

"Charlie, it's what your dad would want you to do right now," S.T.A.N said quietly. "You're the fearless Aaron Stone, defender of the world against the Omega Defiance, so you can do anything that you put your mind to. Your family's counting on you because, if you don't rescue them, who will?"

That settled it. S.T.A.N had convinced me that I had to at least try to rescue my family. I took a deep breath. "You're right, S.T.A.N, thanks. So where are they?"

S.T.A.N looked at the coordinates. "Do you remember Dr Helix's facility? The one which we were imprisoned in?" he asked.

I turned very pale. "Elias Powers has teamed up with that freak?" I asked. "On that island just off the coast of India?"

S.T.A.N nodded. "Yes, Aaron Stone. Beware! This will be one of your most dangerous missions yet."

I nodded as I leaned my head against the wall. "My family come first, though. If anything happens to Jason, or my mom, I doubt that I'll be able to forgive myself. This is all my fault."

"No, Charlie, don't think like that. This has nothing to do with you. It's all Elias Powers's fault so blame him instead," Emma said as she shook her head.

"Cool, Calm and Collected. You'll need the Three C's to defeat him," S.T.A.N repeated. "You'll also need something else."

Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out a small compact chip about the size of a small coin.

"For your gauntlet, Aaron. It will produce an energy shield which will protect you from anything except an explosion at an exact frequency. It will also produce a deflector shield which should ricochet any laser fire back at your opponent," she explained as she pressed the chip into my hand.

S.T.A.N reached into his storage compartment. "I've been saving this for special occasions as well. Do you remember the device that you gave me for safekeeping?"

"That thing? The one that freezes time? You've still got that?" I asked in surprise. S.T.A.N nodded as he pulled it out of his storage compartment.

"Yes. I've been tinkering with it and I've managed to strengthen it to focus only on one person. It might come in handy whilst you're facing Powers," S.T.A.N assured. I took it. "Thanks S.T.A.N. Can you try to get this place cleaned up as quickly as possible for me before I bring my family back? My mom will need a calm environment for me to tell her, and Jason, the truth."

"It will be spotless when you get back. Good luck, Aaron Stone, Dark Tamara," he promised. I nodded.

"Thanks, S.T.A.N. Dark Tamara, are you with me?" I asked.

"Yes, Aaron Stone. I'm with you," she smiled. "Lets go kick Powers's butt."

We went to the SSJ and suited up. Then, I installed the chip into my gauntlet and attached the communicator to my ear. Emma, however, installed a chip that would act as a bio-dampener into her suit. I took a deep breath as I sat in the pilot's chair. Suited and booted, all I had to do now was arrive safely so that I could rescue my brother and my mom. I remembered the Three C's at that moment.

_Cool, Calm and Collected_. I told myself over and over again as I waited for Dark Tamara.

"Aaron Stone, are you ready?" she asked as she fitted her communicator into her ear. I nodded in reply. At that moment, the first scraps of a plan were beginning to form in my head.

"Yes, I'm ready, Dark Tamara. However, I need one more thing before we leave. You wouldn't happen to have an upgrade for my boots, would you? For water surfing?" I asked. She was puzzled by this request.

"Why?" she asked. I shrugged.

"It's an island, Dark Tamara. I'll want to be able to escape if I get left behind."

She paused for a moment. "Yes, I think that I've got one upgrade that might suit you. Wait here," she said finally before she left the SSJ. A few minutes later, she came back with a jet-powered upgrade to my boots.

"Wow," was all I could say.

"These are the Water-Skis. They're jet propelled, thought controlled and very risky as they've not been fully tested yet. When they are activated, they'll form into a surfboard which has auto-balancing technology built in. They'll head directly towards any coordinate which is beamed directly to them from any satellite. They'll work on land too but that aspect of them hasn't even been through alpha testing yet," she explained as I slipped them onto my boots. Seconds later, I felt the nano-chip being inserted into my foot.

"Well, they'll soon go through some rigorous on the job training, I'm sure. Dark Tamara, I'm going to need Vas and Ram's exact coordinates so can you put me in touch with them?" I asked. Emma nodded.

"I'll put you in touch after we take off. Just tell me what you're planning, Aaron Stone," she replied as she started the engine and the SSJ set off towards Dr Helix's island.

"I can't tell you, Dark Tamara, just in case Elias has the jet bugged. Whilst you work on that, I'll try to program in a few of my manoeuvres as autopilot commands which you might need if they fire at the SSJ," I replied grimly. She nodded and, as she set to work, I secretly reprogrammed the autopilot instead of inputting my manoeuvres. She didn't suspect a thing as she innocently worked on contacting Vas and Ram.

"Yo, Aaron, what's up?" they said as we finally got through to them. They appeared instantly on the call screen.

"A madman, the creator of Hero Rising, Elias Powers, has my family, guys. I need you both to do something for me," I replied grimly.

They were quiet for a moment before they nodded. "Anything we can do to help, Aaron."

"I need you to hack into a satellite, any over Asia, so that you can then start broadcasting your exact co-ordinates on frequency..." I replied.

"8 plus 1," Emma replied.

"Ooh, who's she?" Ram asked. It was clear to me that Ram fancied her as his eyes had lit up.

"My partner and ally, Dark Tamara. Dark Tamara, meet my gang, Ram, or Lethal Lotus, and Vas, or Vasuvius. They were the ones responsible for stopping Cerebella from hijacking the Massive Onion video although they did go over the top a little with their version of it. They're the technical support behind everything I do," I replied.

"You know, Aaron, since I started working for you, I've found out just how pathetic security systems can be. I've found an older, disused satellite which is currently hovering over India right now. I've set it to transmit, easy enough since the thing has absolutely no security, our exact location on a highly encrypted 8 plus 1 bandwidth. Can you check that it works?" Vas replied. It was clear by the tone of his voice that he was slightly disgusted with his brother's behaviour.

I nodded and, when I checked, I found that the coordinates had been programmed into the Water-Skis. I waited for a second before I nodded again to confirm that it had worked.

"Yes, the skis are programmed and ready to go. Vas, Ram, the fate of the world all depends on whether you can do this next thing for me or not. I'm going to need three satellites to be aimed at these precise coordinates. I want you to crash them onto the location when I give you the command as I think that the only way to permanently deal with Helix and his mutants is to destroy the island," I replied as I showed them the coordinates on the paper.

"That's quite a big ask, Aaron. How do you like your satellites? Do you want heavy satellites, disused ones or expensive ones?" Ram joked.

I smiled. "Old, disused ones which are currently just floating junk. Let's not anger too many people with our exploits."

"Yes but make that sure none of the satellites belong to Hall Industries. If Mr Hall found out that you destroyed anything of his, especially after the first SSJ, he wouldn't be too happy about it," Emma added as she steered the SSJ over the ocean.

"What she said. My boss won't be too happy if I wreck his toys again," I added.

"Where's the fun in that? But, if you don't want us to wreck Hall Industries's satellites, we won't wreck their satellites, Aaron Stone," Ram sighed.

"Hey Aaron, can I ask, do you think that you'll make it out of this one alive?" Vas asked after a few moments of tense silence. He had just expressed what I was sure that everyone was thinking at that moment in time and the silent atmosphere persevered for a few moments more. Emma studied me for a moment as I shrugged.

"Who knows? I'm only going there to get my mom and my brother from the Omega Defiance. What happens after that is up to fate," I assured.

"Don't talk like that!" Emma exclaimed as she elbowed me. I smiled.

"Dark Tamara, to be honest, I've got to be realistic about the odds. Whatever happens, I'm ready to face it."

"Aaron, you can do it! You're not _The_ Aaron Stone for nothing, my friend. You beat Powers before so you can do it again," Ram assured. "Just remember that you didn't become the best gamer in Hero Rising for nothing."

I nodded in reply. They were both the confidence boost which I needed at that moment in time.

"Yo, Aaron, we've got the first satellite," Vas confirmed.

"Keep going but remember to call me when you've hijacked the third. Thanks for your support, guys," I replied. "Aaron Stone out."

I deactivated their call signal and the screen went blank. Then, I sat back in my chair as I quietly prepared myself for what I had to do.

"What is it?" Emma asked with concern.

"I'm afraid, Dark Tamara, but I'm not afraid for myself. No, I'm afraid of what the Omega Defiance will do to Jason and my mom. It's strange as I've never been fearless before but I find myself completely unafraid right now. Cool, Calm and Collected is what I'm going to have to stick to if I'm going to have any chance of rescuing them today. They must be terrified and I'll bet most assuredly that they'll also be very angry with me. My mom will kill me when she finds out and it's likely that I'll be grounded for a month at least," I admitted quietly with a soft smile on my face.

She nodded. "Yes but don't doubt for a second that what you've done so far is nothing short of heroic."

I laughed. "I doubt that my mom will see it that way. She'll think of the danger and the lies which I've been telling her all this time. I think after this, Aaron Stone will be dead as she'll never let me continue my work but at least I won't have to lie to her any more about what has really been happening around here."

Emma nodded. "As Dark Tamara, I've never had that problem. I don't know if Mr Hall made the right decision when he didn't tell your mom, though."

"Emma, you're not helping." I said as I looked out the window.

"Consider this, then. By not telling them, you've saved your mom a great deal of worry and kept your foolhardy, very strange, and annoying little brother out of harm's way," she said with a shrug. "And I'm sure that Mr Hall and S.T.A.N. will try to shield you from the worst of your mother's wrath."

I smiled. "They can try their best but my mom is one terrifying woman. Even S.T.A.N thinks so."

She laughed. "Moms often are."

We came into range of the island a few minutes later and, sure enough, they started firing their lasers on us. I shook my head as I took us into evasive manoeuvres before I started to return fire. The first two shots took out the main lasers and the second two destroyed the backup lasers. As we landed, Dark Tamara's suit glowed slightly.

"They're scanning for life signs. Fortunately, this thing makes me invisible to them. Activate your communicator now so that I can keep in touch with you whilst I hide out here. The shielding and cloaking of the SSJ should protect me until it's necessary for me to come out to play. Good luck, Aaron Stone," she smiled as she activated the shielding and our communicators.

I smiled. "Good luck to you too, Dark Tamara. Just make sure that you burst in during an opportune moment when I need you most. By the way, did I ever say that you really surprise me with your skills?"

She blushed and punched me lightly on the arm. "Aaron, you flatterer."

"Time to go. Remember, opportune moment. Don't make a move until I've got Elias Powers occupied," I said. "After we get my family out of there, we can worry about getting off the island. Just don't use the jet any more as we need to conserve fuel so that we can escape quickly."

I then got out. It was quiet for a few seconds before the mutants appeared. I took all of them out with little effort before I followed their trail right back to Dr Helix's mutant compound. Sure enough, Powers awaited with Helix on the balcony. My family, however, were nowhere in sight.

"What a surprise, you actually came alone, Charlie Landers. Or is it Aaron Stone? You haven't answered that question yet," Elias said.

"I don't know who I really am, Elias Powers. Where are they? What have you done with them?." I replied. "If you've harmed them..."

"As we agreed, they're unharmed," Elias said as he snapped his fingers. Two guards carried my struggling brother and my mom in, over their shoulders, from one of the side entrances to the compound.

"Charlie, Charlie... Thank goodness..." My mom said with relief.

Jason looked under the arm of the guard. "So it's true, you really are..." he began as he saw the uniform.

"Ok, so they're unharmed," Elias said. "Now, you've got to uphold your end of the bargain, Aaron. A duel to end all duels with no second chances, no extra lives and no outside interference. A rematch after our last showdown in limbo."

Elias revealed that he was holding an axe in one hand. I grimaced before I stood ready to battle him.

"Don't do it, bro. You can't seriously beat this guy!" Jason exclaimed. I nearly lost my Three C's there and then as Jason was thrown to the floor but I had to ignore how angry watching Jason getting hurt made me feel. I had to ignore the same thing happening to my mom and the neck-grip that the two of them were being held as well. I needed to retain the Three C's, otherwise, I definitely wouldn't have any chance of walking away from this one.

_Cool, calm and collected. _I told myself over and over. _Cool, calm and collected. I can do this._

"So what will it be, Aaron Stone?" he asked.

"You're on, Elias," I replied calmly. "On for a kicking, I think. You've got no idea about what I'm capable of right now. Even if you've been watching me in action, you haven't learned everything about me. I've been having a few more training lessons from an old friend of mine, who just also happens to be the best fighter in the world, since we last battled."

In my ear, the faint voice of Dark Tamara whispered. "I'm coming in through the side door. I'll capture Helix and take out the guards but you've got to keep Powers distracted."

"No, bro, taking this dude on will be suicide!" Jason exclaimed.

I ignored him as I cleared my mind of any thoughts which could get in my way as Powers drew a very large axe. It was eerily similar to the one that his avatar had used before in limbo. What he didn't know was that I had an upgrade this time which would render this axe useless. He quickly transformed it to a blaster, which would probably be slightly more powerful than my own, as we got into fighting stances.

"You're going down, Stone," Powers snorted as he pressed the trigger. Seconds later, a powerful laser shot was fired at me.

"Right back at you," I replied as I calmly thought about firing. Seconds later, I used the gauntlet to dispose of his shot as our shots clashed harmlessly in mid-air in front of me.

"Very good, let's see what else you have got," Powers complimented.

We clashed then. Blow for blow, we were evenly matched until I fell into my mentor's routine. Billy Cobb had begun to really show me how I should fight unarmed so that I would have the advantage against the Omega Defiance. I managed to keep his axe at bay until he pulled a smaller blaster out from another of his pockets.

I only had seconds to react as he fired. I instantly thought about my reflective shield and, sure enough, the shot rebounded off my reflective shield to knock his smaller blaster out of the way. As that happened, I made for a long silver pole at the side of the door. I held it calmly as I shook my head.

"So you've got a few new tricks, Aaron Stone, but are you really good enough to beat me?" Elias Powers said as he breathed in heavily.

"I don't really know. Am I, Powers?" I retorted. "Your style is poor and you still think that I'm just as weak as my avatar was when we last fought. Even back then, I still bested you because you grossly underestimated me. I'll do it again just like the last time without any cheap tricks if I can help it. The Omega Defiance has put you in way over your head here, Elias Powers, and I guarantee you that, if I beat you, you and Dr Helix are going to be spending quite a while in one of Mr Hall's secure detention centres. One that doesn't have internet access or Hero Rising in it. You won't be able to escape, and the Omega Defiance won't be able to find you, I'll make sure of it."

"Overconfident, cocky and a do-gooder. Yes, Mr Hall does pick his footsoldiers well. They don't question orders, they do everything he says and then they die. Why don't you tell your precious family how many of your predecessors are currently lying ten feet under?" Elias taunted as we circled.

I shook his words off as he wouldn't make me angry this day. The Three C's came back into my head. _Cool, Calm and Collected. _I told myself again yet again.

"We're not footsoldiers, Elias Powers. When Mr Hall says jump, I don't automatically say how high. Whilst the others may have fallen, I haven't joined them yet and besides, even if I ever do pay the ultimate price, I'll at least go knowing that I was on the right side. However, you're certainly sitting on the wrong side of the fence right now from where I'm standing," I said quietly. "No second chances, Powers. No let ups, no big long monologues and no cheating either. Let's just finish this."

Before I could stop him, Elias had grabbed Jason off the other guard and held the axe to his neck. Jason flinched. "Jason!" I exclaimed as I took a step forward. Elias's grip tightened on Jason although my brother tried to get free.

"Don't move, Aaron Stone. One step and he won't survive another day," Elias warned.

Jason shook his head. "Hey, bro don't listen to him! Finish this scum!"

"Jason, I can't do it. I can't," I said as I let go of the bar. Dark Tamara really had to use this moment otherwise both me and my brother were certainly done for.

"Yes, good choice indeed. Now, this is where you are eliminated, Aaron Stone. There are no second chances remember," Elias taunted. "Such a shame, you were such a good opponent as well."

I saw Dark Tamara take out Dr Helix quietly behind him and I knew that she would save Jason. Now all I had to ensure was that I survived the next few seconds and Elias Powers would be done for.

"Go ahead, Elias. Go ahead and end this," I replied as I braced myself in case the shot hit me. I had to hope that I could time this right otherwise I would almost certainly get seriously hurt. As Elias pulled the trigger, Jason looked away instantly. Before it could hit me, I shot up over the shot by using my gauntlet. Then, I swung into action and flew over Elias to grab Dark Tamara before I swung back to drop her onto him which forced him to release Jason. At the top of my next swing, I leapt to the ground and pulled my brother out of the way. I then took out the two guards with ease whilst skilfully avoiding my mom. Before she or I could say anything, I went to help out Emma fight off Elias. Eventually, I managed to disarm him with her help and we both knocked him against the wall.

"You see, Elias, I knew fine well that you would cheat. I knew fine well that you wouldn't fight fairly so neither did I," I replied with a smile. "Meet Dark Tamara, my partner in Omega Defiance butt-kicking."

"Yes. And I've longed to kick your butt, Elias Powers," she smiled. To our surprise, he pulled a third blaster and aimed for the roof. Emma had no idea what he was attempting to do but I did so I grabbed the time device out of my back pocket and, as the shot was fired and ricocheted off the roof, I activated it. Then, I put myself between the shot and, its intended target, my brother.

Finally, I put the device in my back pocket and returned time to normal. As time restarted, I took the shot for my brother. I had been fortunate enough to use the energy shield in time and the shot bounced back towards Powers.

"Tamara, get out of the way," I called. She leapt out of the way and let the shot hit Elias Powers which knocked him out. I stood there for a moment before I took a deep breath as I felt pain shoot up from my arm. I looked down, at some point, the axe had given me a nice little cut down my right arm. It was just a little scratch which was nothing compared to the other injuries I've had in my time.

"Is he dead?" Jason asked quietly.

"No. Elias Powers is merely stunned quite badly," Emma replied as she checked. She brought out a net and put the two villains into it before she sealed it shut. It acted like a forcefield, made it easy for them to be carried off and gave them no chance of escape. "For Mr Hall, of course. It'll be a nice present for him especially after what Elias has done today. Nice work, Aaron."

I nodded. "You too, Dark Tamara. As always, you've got excellent timing," I smiled.

"Thank you. Someone has to clean up after your messes when you're not able to by yourself," she smiled.

I just ignored that and turned to my family. Jason was staring at me with an expression which was a mixture of awe and dumb shock.

"Are you all right, Jason?" I asked. He nodded.

"You know, you were so cool. Just like in the game, you trashed that guy," Jason said as he did a sort of strange enactment of the whole affair. I just shook my head.

"It isn't a game, Jason. The Omega Defiance is very real and very dangerous as well. Dr Helix just happens to be one of them and this place is absolutely crawling with his mutants," I replied calmly.

At that moment, an alarm went off and I grimaced. "Which have probably just been released to go after us. It's time for us to run now, I think."

The growling reached my ears. "Now, I wish S.T.A.N was here," Dark Tamara replied.

"Dark Tamara, you've got to get them out of here. I'll attempt to keep the mutants off you," I exclaimed as the mutants appeared. Grimly, I started shooting at the mutants to cover for Dark Tamara and my family as they escaped. My blaster was set to kill so that I didn't have to fight them over a prolonged period of time.

As I retreated through the jungle, my communicator started to beep.

"Vas, Ram, you better have some good news for me," I said as I shot another mutant down.

"Yes, Aaron. We've got the three satellites in position and are ready to set them off when you give the signal," Vas smiled. "I can hear shots. What's going on?"

"Oh, you know, just the usual mutant fighting. How hard was it?" I asked as I continued to retreat.

"Easier than counting to ten. These old satellites are pretty defenceless," Ram replied. "Hey, is that pretty girl there? Would you ask her out for me?"

I shook my head as I took down another mutant. "Now is not the time, Ramdas. Vas, tell him."

"Aaron is right. Dating can wait," Vas chipped in.

I had finally reached the SSJ at that point and everyone else had gotten in. The only problem was that the mutants were crawling all over the place so it couldn't take off.

"Aaron, get in," Emma urged.

I shook my head. I knew that this was it. I had to lie to save them. "There's no time. You need to get airborne and you won't be able to do it with those freaks hanging around the SSJ. I'll hold them off until you take off then you can come back for me."

Emma was hesitant as I shot several more mutants.

"Emma, there's no time! Just go," I replied. "Vas, Ram, set off the satellites now!"

"We're on it, Aaron. You've got about five minutes to get out of there before they come crashing down on the island," Ram warned. Jason looked out of the SSJ at me.

"Don't do it bro," he begged me after he stole Dark Tamara's communicator as I shot several more mutants.

"Hey, I'm Aaron Stone. Everything will be all right," I reassured him. "You've got to get airborne and quickly, though. The SSJ has a field teleport device so you can pick me up on the way back. Emma, you've got to go now before the satellites come crashing down!"

Emma made her decision then and started up the engine. It was just what I was wanting because, as soon as she was airborne, my autopilot program would engage. It would take her to Mr Hall and then to my home but it prevented her from coming back for me.

Sure enough, I could hear the autopilot engaging as she got airborne. I made my move at that moment. I had under four minutes to get off the island and a reasonable distance out to sea, otherwise, I would have been killed by the explosion.

"Aaron, what have you done?" Emma exclaimed as I heard my handy work initialising in the SSJ.

I smiled sadly as I ran, pursued by the mutants, towards the beach. "I've just saved you. If you had come back for me, then you would have died. Look at it this way, Dark Tamara, you're guaranteed to survive this. It's only my survival that's in jeopardy right now and I rather like the odds today."

I reached the beach at that moment.

"Three minutes and counting! Get out of there Aaron Stone!" Vas urged. I activated the Water-Skis and then sped off out the sea. Leaving the mutants behind on the beach, I quickly found that balancing on the board was easier than I thought it would be.

"Bro, how could you?" Jason asked as I smiled.

"With great difficulty, of course. When you get back, make sure that you get S.T.A.N to tell you everything. It's quite a long story. And mom, I never did that jump all those weeks ago. That hairline fracture was obtained during a fight with one of Dr Helix's super-mutants. You would never have believed me if I had told you the truth so I had just played along with your assumption," I replied.

"Aaron, you can't do this," Emma begged as I heard sobbing in the background.

"Too late," I replied as the jet became a spot in the distance. "You know what the risks are, Emma. You know fine well that I'm _The _Aaron Stone. Vas and Ram were right and, by the way, those two will be in contact with you as soon as I reach the shore. Goodbye," I said as I shut down my communication with them.


	4. Chapter 3: The Jaws Of Death

Aaron Stone: No Second Chances

Chapter 3: The Jaws of Death

A Fanfiction By Lauraac2110

"Yo, Aaron, you can do it," Vas assured. I smiled as I looked back for a brief second to see the satellites coming down towards the island.

"Let's hope so. Things are about to get a little bumpy," I said as I braced myself for the powerful waves. The impact of the explosion caused colossal tidal waves and debris to erupt from the island. I had to go to full speed just to avoid the debris but I couldn't avoid Mother Nature. Fortunately, the board had built in wave surfing techniques so it managed to get me through the worst although I nearly lost my balance a few times.

"Aaron, what's going on? I hear lots of rushing water," Ram asked.

"Waves lots of them," I replied as I looked over to the island. As far as I could see, nothing remained of the island. I smiled at this. "Nice work with the satellites, guys."

"How much destruction did we cause?" Vas asked with excitement.

"Vas, Ram, it's complete carnage out there. Nothing appears to have remained above sea level," I replied. They started whooping and cheering at this.

"Guys, guys, calm down. This is a big achievement, yes, but keep it in perspective, please. Six of the major players of the Omega Defiance are still out there and they'll get harder to defeat now that one of their own has fallen. Dr Helix, although insanely mad, was probably the weakest link anyway," I replied. "It's not the end of the whole story. yet."

"But Aaron... We trashed Cerebella's super computer and, now, we've destroyed Dr Helix's island. It's cause for some celebration, Aaron," Ram replied.

"Fine. Hey, can any of you get a lock on my location and give me and ETA for getting to the mainland?" I asked.

"On it," Vas replied. "You're around two to three hundred miles out. Currently, at the speed you are going at right now... ETA four hours. Aaron, are you sure that you can last that long?"

I grimaced. "I don't know, guys. I've got to so I guess that I'll have to just do my best," I replied. "As long as I stay cool, calm and collected, I should be able to do it."

"That's the spirit, my friend. You can do it as you're _The _Aaron Stone after all," Ram cheered. "Besides, we'll keep you company on the way."

I looked at the sun. It was beginning to set so I knew that it was going to be a long night, especially with Vas and Ram for company, and I wasn't looking forward to it.

"Thanks, guys," I replied not too enthusiastically.

"Ooh, Aaron, our antics have made the news. News is just arriving about the explosion so they're sending helicopters out to investigate. Not good," Vas said. "You need to get out of there."

"I'm getting out of here. Can you check to see if they'll pass anywhere near me?" I asked.

"Checking... No, their estimated flight plan puts them around four miles to the left of you at the point where you should meet up," Ram replied.

I sighed. "Good but, just to be sure, warn me when they get close. The darkness of the night should be able to hide me, right?"

"Yes. They'll meet you in about two hours but they shouldn't be able to see you as a dot in the distance but you might have to kill your jets temporarily to hide from them," Vas said grimly.

I shook my head. "Let's just hope that it doesn't come to that as I don't want to have to take a big risk that unless it's really necessary."

Those two hours passed quickly. Vas and Ram joked quite a great deal but, as night fell, I knew that I would have to cut my jets briefly when the helicopters passed by because the jets gave off too much light which would easily attract the attention of the media travelling to Dr Helix's island.

"ETA for the helicopters, Vas!" I said as I spotted a light in the distance.

"Two minutes. You'll need to cut your jets now, Aaron!" Vas said. "If you want any chance of getting past the helicopters unnoticed, that is."

I took a deep breath. I had only one chance at getting this right. If I did anything wrong, I would be spotted and then the whole world would know of Aaron Stone. Eventually, they would probably track me down so my entire life would end. There were no second chances this time.

As I cut my jets, I just hoped that this would work. It was going to be the biggest risk which I had ever gambled upon and my life depended on it.

The board skimmed across the water as the jets died. The helicopters were getting closer and closer but I think that I was passing them by, unnoticed, as the board continued across the water. However, I was struggling to remain on the board as the board began to slow down but I reminded myself that my family and my friends needed me. That thought seemed to help me as I managed to remain on the board through the worst of the waves.

"Aaron, are you still there?" Ram asked. I smiled.

"Yes, I'm still here, guys, but I'm starting to lose momentum rapidly. How am I meant to time this right?" I exclaimed.

"Aaron, you've got to wait as long as possible before you turn the jets back on as they're less likely to be able to see you the further away you are from them," Vas said. "However, you must switch the jets back on before the momentum you've built up runs out or you'll drown, Aaron."

I nodded. "Right, piece of cake," I replied. "I've just got to remember the Three C's. I should be able to do this."

_Cool, Calm and Collected. Cool, Calm and Collected. _I told myself over and over as I waited for what seemed forever, although it was actually only few seconds, for the opportune moment to restart the jet engines again. Then, it came.

As the engines burst into life, I knew that I had chosen the best moment as the helicopters didn't alter their course. They hadn't noticed me so I sighed in relief.

"Aaron! Aaron!" Ram exclaimed after a few moments of silence.

"I'm fine, guys," I reassured them. "I'm just fine."

"So it worked?" Vas asked.

"I wouldn't be talking to you guys right now if it hadn't," I replied with a smile.

"Yeehah! You're a lucky man, Aaron!" Ram exclaimed. "We've got to celebrate this."

I grimaced. Vas and Ram weren't very good company but, of course, they were the only company available to me for the remaining few hours so I was going to have to put up with them.

The last few hours of my journey towards mainland India were uneventful. I was sorely tempted to shut down my communication link with Vas and Ram but, after some deliberation, I decided that I couldn't bear to be alone during my journey towards India. If they hadn't been there to distract me from my aching muscles, I doubt very much that I would have made it to the mainland as I would've collapsed due to the complete exhaustion I felt.

Of course, I did eventually make it to the mainland but, as soon as I arrived on the beach, I knew that I wasn't going to last much longer. I was so weak and exhausted that I could barely keep my eyes open which worried me. It meant that I had to get to Vas and Ram before the exhaustion set in but I knew that it was going to be quite difficult as there were going to have to be a number of obstacles in the way.

I set the Water-Skis into land mode. Then, with great difficulty, I struggled through the almost deserted streets of India. As I grew closer and closer to Vas and Ram's house, I started to notice that I was being pursued by a number of people who were trying to remain hidden from me. Although I was barely conscious, I noticed them and sped up so that I could escape from them before they caught up with me.

However, just as I reached Vas and Ram's window, which had been left open for me, those in pursuit of me finally caught up. I woke both of them, as they must have fallen asleep at some point whilst I had been heading towards their house, when I took out the strangers in their room with my gauntlet.

"Aaron! Did we..." Ram began.

"No, you didn't miss much," I smiled weakly as I threw the strangers out of their window with the last of my strength. I suddenly felt drained so I leaned against their window-frame but it didn't really help me at all. Vas and Ram took in my tattered and pale appearance for a few moments before they realised something was very wrong with me.

As I swayed slightly, they rushed forward to catch me as I toppled to the ground.

"Aaron!" Vas exclaimed as I felt my eyes going together because exhaustion had overcome me.

"Use my communicator... Call Mr Hall..." I murmured as I fell into unconsciousness.

Some time later, I hovered on the edge of consciousness again. I felt secure arms lifting me off the floor and, when I barely opened my eyes for a moment, I saw that I was in S.T.A.N's arms.

"Will he be all right?" I heard Ram ask hesitantly.

S.T.A.N was silent for a moment before he shrugged. "I can't say for sure. He has drained himself to his utter limits and, if I don't get him to the medical facility soon, he may not make it. Thanks, both of you, for protecting him from the Omega Defiance until I managed to get here. Mr Hall wants to speak to you both as soon as Aaron recover," he replied.

"Tell him, when he wakes up, that we hope he recovers soon," Vas said after a few minutes of silence.

I wanted to reply that I would be fine but I was still just too weak to speak so I remained silent and limp in S.T.A.N's arms. S.T.A.N carried me into the awaiting SSJ and gently set me down in the back. Then, he got into the front, had a brief conversation with Mr Hall and Emma before he started the launch sequences. Finally, the engines of the SSJ burst into life and S.T.A.N began to pilot the jet towards Mr Hall's medical facility.

All was quiet in the SSJ for the majority of the journey. Until we neared Mr Hall's medical facility, that is. Out of nowhere, a number of missiles appeared and red lights started flashing in the SSJ.

"Oh no," S.T.A.N groaned. I heard him try everything to lose the missiles and, eventually, he managed to lose one during a complex manoeuvre. However, as I opened my eyes again, I saw on the screen in front of S.T.A.N that two more missiles were approaching rapidly and were above and below the SSJ to prevent it from using any more complex manoeuvres. Strangely, they appeared to be like jaws preparing to snap to secure their prey, the SSJ, and there wasn't any apparent escape for us this time as everything S.T.A.N had tried had so far failed.

As I lay there, I summoned the strength to sit up. Then, I struggled into the front, despite S.T.A.N's protests, and took over as pilot. It didn't take me long to formulate a plan which I knew that I only had seconds to implement otherwise we wouldn't escape from these missiles alive.

I had to time it exactly right, though, as I only had one chance. If I had reacted too early, the missiles would have had time to turn back and destroy us. If I had reacted too late, the SSJ wouldn't have been able to escape the missiles and they would have destroyed us.

"Aaron..." S.T.A.N began. I ignored him though as I cut off the engines and the SSJ suddenly started falling towards the ground. Fortunately, I had timed it just right and, just above us, the missiles exploded. The force of the blast sent the SSJ hurtling towards the ground but I struggled with the controls and, with a little help from S.T.A.N, I prevented it from crashing into the ground.

"I did it..." I began in shock. I hadn't expected it to actually work yet it had. We had escaped from the missiles which, like jaws of death, had just missed their prey.

"Yes, you did, Aaron Stone," S.T.A.N agreed. "How are you feeling?"

I was about to reply to this when I suddenly extremely weak again. Before either S.T.A.N or I could react, I had collapsed because of the effort I had put in to save us and the SSJ from destruction.

The last thing I heard was S.T.A.N calling out my name before unconsciousness claimed me.


	5. Chapter 4: Recovery

Aaron Stone: No Second Chances

Chapter 4: Recovery

A Fanfiction By Lauraac2110

I groaned softly as I returned to consciousness again.

"He's waking. Call Mr Hall!" I heard someone call. I recognised that voice instantly. Emma.

"Charlie... Charlie can you hear me?" another voice asked. I recognised that voice as well. Jason.

"Ugh," I murmured as I was suddenly aware that my muscles were aching quite badly. They were obviously complaining quite badly about how badly I had treated them whilst I had struggled to the mainland. I had no idea how much time had passed since the incident in the SSJ but I did know that I wasn't as exhausted as I had been when I was last conscious.

"Charlie. Open your eyes," Emma commanded. I did instantly and, within seconds, I couldn't see anything past Emma and Jason as they hugged me tightly.

"Hey, would you mind?" I exclaimed as I struggled to breathe. "I can't breathe here."

Emma and Jason instantly let me go. Then, they sat on the edge of the bed I was lying in. I was given a few moments to take in my surroundings and I realised that I was in Mr Hall's medical facilities. It was quite late at night and, outside the door, a number of Mr Hall's security personnel were guarding me. I was quite chuffed by the fact that I was important enough to him that he would assign me protection.

"How are you feeling, bro?" Jason asked. I shrugged.

"I'm all right now, bro," I replied. "I've had worse."

"You've been out for a few days, Charlie. The only time that you've been worse than that was when you had been injected with that serum that brought out "Chuck" from deep within you," Emma disagreed.

"Has it been than long. I mean..." I began as I raised my arm a little. They hadn't changed me out of my uniform so, when I raised my arm, I accidentally unleashed a shot. Jason had to duck to avoid being hit by the shot as I grimaced.

"I'm sorry," I apologised instantly.

"No, it's cool," Jason replied. "So, you're really _The _Aaron Stone."

I smiled at this. "Yes. I'm really _The _Aaron Stone and Emma is really _The_ Dark Tamara," I replied. "Everything that you've been told is true."

He considered it for a moment. "Do you think...?" he began. I knew instantly what he was going to ask and I turned very pale.

"No way, Jason. No way," I replied quite firmly. "Terminus Mag stays in the game where he belongs. I wouldn't wish the way I've had to live my life upon anyone."

"But..." Jason began.

"No, Jason," I stated firmly. "My life is dangerous. It always has been. It always will. I'm constantly hunted by the Omega Defiance, I'm constantly battling evil and I'm constantly living from one day to the next not knowing whether or not I'll live to see the next one. It has a few cool moments here and there but they can't disguise the constant risks which I've got to take."

I paused for a moment before I continued. "Do you know... I honestly thought that I was going to lose you and mom. It's all my fault that you both got captured. If I hadn't been so careless, you would never have been captured by Powers and Dr Helix. You would never have been brought into my world..."

Emma shook her head. "It's not your fault, Aaron. It's Powers and Dr Helix who you've got to blame for this."

I was silent as I heard S.T.A.N walking down the corridor. I could tell that it was him because he was humming away to himself and it made me laugh a little.

"Ah, Aaron, you're awake," S.T.A.N smiled. "Mr Hall sent me to fetch your brother and Emma. I've got to go take them home as your mom is done talking to him now. As for you, you've got to rest here until the morning. Mr Hall will see you then."

I nodded. "Thanks S.T.A.N."

"See you in the morning, bro," Jason said sadly.

'We'll play some Hero Rising together," I promised.

"Don't forget about me. I'll join in as well," Emma replied with a smile as she hustled Jason out of the room. "Goodnight, Charlie!"

S.T.A.N sat at the edge of my bed for a moment. "Rest well, Aaron Stone."

I nodded as he then got up and left. Then, after a few moments, in which I listened to them leaving until I could no longer hear their footsteps, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

"Wake up, Charlie. Mr Hall wants to see you now," S.T.A.N said as he shook me awake some time later. I nodded and got up. S.T.A.N helped me to walk down the corridor as I was still slightly sore and he didn't want me to collapse again. I thought his help was a bit unnecessary but I didn't complain about it as I concentrated on making my way into T. Abner Hall's office.

"Ah, Aaron. I'm glad to see that you've started to make a good recovery. Please, take a seat," T. Abner Hall said as he gestured to a nearby chair. I shook my head.

"If it is all right with you, I'm perfectly happy just to stand," I replied calmly.

He nodded. "Down to business, then. The good news for you is that General Cross gave Dr Helix all of the samples of your DNA and they were all destroyed with Dr Helix's island so the Omega Defiance, as a whole, don't know about your true identity."

I nodded. "And you know this, how?" I asked.

"We used Cerebella's brainwashing technique on both Elias Powers and Dr Helix. We used it to make them tell us the whole truth and then we made them forget about your true identity completely as well. They won't remember a thing about what occurred at Dr Helix's island, I assure you," S.T.A.N replied calmly.

I sighed slightly at this. A part of me was happy that I wasn't going to be hunted ruthlessly by the Omega Defiance but another part of me was troubled. There was something that they hadn't told me yet.

"And?" I began. "If I may say so, it's obvious that there's something that you're not telling me, sir."

Mr Hall looked down. "We're also about to brainwash your family to forget as well."

"What? You can't!" I exclaimed.

"Aaron, we've got no choice. In order to give you a second chance, they've got to forget as well. Your family could accidentally leak your identity by mistake and then we would go back to square one again," Mr Hall replied simply. "The Omega Defiance would start hunting you endlessly and there would be no rest for you. I don't want you to be condemned to the life that I now have to live."

"But, sir!" I exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, Aaron," T. Abner Hall sighed. "It's just not meant to be."

I nodded in reply but I didn't trust myself to say anything else to him so I remained silent.

"Sir, if I may..." S.T.A.N began.

"Yes, leave us, Aaron," Mr Hall commanded. I nodded again, turned and left the room.

I headed down the corridor and straight to the SSJ. Once there, I sulked for a while and Emma appeared on-screen.

"I heard the orders, Charlie. I'm sorry," Emma replied sadly.

"I want them to remember, Emma. I don't want them to forget. I don't want the second chance which Hall Industries is giving me if it means that I'll have to go back to a life of secrets again," I admitted after a moment of silence. She sighed.

"I know how you feel, Charlie. It's for their own good, though. Do you really want to condemn them to a life of worrying constantly about you? Do you really want to endanger them?" Emma retorted.

As usual, she was right. I shook my head. "Of course I don't," I replied.

"Then you'll understand why Mr Hall is doing this for you, Charlie. You should be grateful that you've been given a second chance as not many people in our line of work get these sorts of opportunities. Exposure usually means early retirement to a remote town somewhere like Timbuktu for the rest of your life, you know," she warned.

"I am grateful, Emma. It's just..." I said with a sigh. She smiled reassuringly.

"I know, Charlie. You hate the secrets as much as I do. For me, it's not so bad but I hate lying to Jason and your mom as well," Emma assured. "However, it's the price that we've got to pay to keep them safe. I know that you would want your family to be safe, more than anything else, Charlie."

I nodded. "Thanks, Emma."

She smiled. "I'm glad to help. Now, I'll tell Vas and Ram about what has happened and you just get back to your family. I'll join you for a game of Hero Rising later, all right?"

I nodded. "Just warn them that Jason doesn't know the truth any more, Emma," I replied. "They must not accidentally let the truth slip to my brother or I'm going end up in another mess."

Emma smiled. "I'll make sure that they don't say a word. I promise."

With that, she shut the communication down as S.T.A.N entered the SSJ. I buckled in.

"Are you ready to go, Aaron Stone?" S.T.A.N asked. I nodded.

"Yes," I replied quite simply. "I'm ready to start lying through my teeth all over again. Let's go."

S.T.A.N nodded and started the launch sequences. Seconds later, the SSJ was heading towards Eastland, my home, and my second chance to live my not-so-ordinary complex life for a little while longer.


	6. Epilogue: Forgotten

Aaron Stone: No Second Chances

Epilogue: Forgotten

A Fanfiction By Lauraac2110

As Stan helps me into the house, all is quiet. We pass my mum lying asleep on the sofa and, when we get upstairs, we find my brother asleep on my bed with a controller in his hand.

"I didn't want it to be this way, S.T.A.N. I wanted them to remember the truth," I sigh.

"I know, Aaron, but it wasn't meant to be. Your mom was secretly threatening to stop you from being Aaron Stone and Mr Hall couldn't have that," S.T.A.N replies.

"I would've convinced her to let me, S.T.A.N," I counter but S.T.A.N just shakes his head.

"I don't think that you would've been able to, Aaron Stone," he says calmly. "Your mom is, after all, quite a formidable woman. I wouldn't want to cross her once she has decided something."

I grimace. S.T.A.N has a point.

"See what I mean? Besides, if it helps you, look at it this way," S.T.A.N begins. "They'll almost certainly find out again one day and, when they do, you can tell them about what happened this week."

I grimace again as my arm aches slightly. "I guess so. They've forgotten absolutely everything, haven't they?" I ask as I look at my brother Jason sadly. S.T.A.N nods.

"Everything," he agrees with a sigh. "Remember, as far as they are concerned, you've been ill over the past few days."

"I know, S.T.A.N," I say sadly as I look down for a moment.

Jason groans slightly and I look up at him sharply. S.T.A.N grimaces.

"He's waking up. I've got to go now as Mr Hall and I are going to have a long talk with Elias and Dr Helix," S.T.A.N notes as he leaves. I sigh.

As Jason begins to stir, I turn on Hero Rising and log us both in. Then, I shake Jason awake.

"Jason! Jason!" I exclaim. He shoots up into a sitting position as I smile.

"What..." he begins as I smile.

"You fell asleep. We're meant to be playing Hero Rising, remember?" I interrupt convincingly. Jason, not too convinced, takes a moment to think about it before he shrugs which suggests to me that he has bought my lies.

"Of course, we were," he agrees. "Weren't we playing the limbo level?" he suggests. I pause for a moment before I nod.

"So we were," I smile uneasily as I take up my controller. Minutes later, we start playing through the limbo level again and, after a few minutes, I really start to enjoy myself as I begin to completely dominate Jason. He's completely out of his league playing against me as I'm Aaron Stone and it will take more than the basic moves which he is using against me for him to stand any chance of besting the best in the entire Hero Rising game.

I pause for a moment. As I'm sitting there, I realise that second chances aren't that bad after all. Of course, I still have to lie and keep secrets from my family but at least I've still got the precious, quiet and enjoyable moments in life. The moments where I don't have to be Aaron Stone and worry about whether or not I'll live through the next mission. The moments where I can be Charlie Landers just an not-so-ordinary teenager trying to enjoy the ordinary moments in life.

The moments that, thanks to my second chance, I'll get to enjoy for a long while yet. Or so I hope...


End file.
